A Goal to Walk Towards
by Viper-Rock
Summary: Al is certain his brother is still alive, and creates a circle to bring him back. But he hasn't seen Ed for three years, and he may not be the same brother Al used to have. Then Ed's restless feet lead him into a whole new set of problems.
1. Chapter 1 Al's Circle

Disclaimer: Not Mine

Chapter 1 - Al's Circle

"I hope this works." Al said to himself, eyes shut tight.

He was going to bring his brother back. Edward had disappeared three years ago, sacrificing himself to get Al's body back. No one knew what happened to him. But Al knew he wasn't dead. For the first year after he'd returned, when he'd had no memory of his time in the armor, he'd been having dreams. Alchemical circles and patterns shifting and forming in his subconscious. When the dreams had turned into memories, and he regained what he'd lost, he began to make sense of the circles that had haunted him. If he used them right, he could get his brother back.

"Brother..." He stood in the ruins of his old house, where he and his brother had no many memories, looking at the circle he's drawn on ground retransmuted into smoothness. He hadn't made any mistakes. He hadn't told anyone he was going to do this. Not even Winry knew the extent of the Alchemical research he'd been doing the past year.

Al shook the last of his doubts out of his head. If he doubted, this wouldn't work. Belief went a long way in Alchemy.

He knelt to the ground and extended his hands. He wanted his brother back. He would get him back.

Al's hands touched the circle.


	2. Chapter 2 Fight Club

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Chapter 2 - Fight Club

Ed's left hand came up to his shoulder, massaging the twinges out of it carefully. He had to be careful, or he would risk damaging his nerves. Three years without proper maintenance meant his automail was in rough shape. Gouges and dents that had been repaired by a clearly inexpert hand were evident on every inch of the metal, and the modifications he'd made out of necessity were taking up some of the space needed for proper movement. Even if he hadn't grown three inches in those years, putting extra stress on the joints, he would have been in bad shape, living the way he was.

"Hey, Elric! You up for another fight tonight? We got a Canuk wants to fight the FullMetal!"

One more fight, he could do that. If he won, he'd have enough money for the month's rent, and he wouldn't have to fight for a couple more weeks. Maybe he'd even make enough money to move on to the next town. Even if he didn't leave, that was still a couple weeks of doing more good than bad, when he could patch up the other fighters, for a small fee, rather than need his own patching up. And it would give him a chance to try and fix up his automail again. He needed to make sure it didn't go bad on him, or he'd be in a lot of trouble.

He nodded to the man in charge of the underground fight club he was in. He would take this one fight. And all the Canuks he'd fought so far had been big, brutish men, easy enough for him to run around and take down.

The large stadium like room was full to the brim with people, liquor and blood flowing in equal amounts, and bringing equal pleasure to the occupants. Bouncers stood at their posts, evenly spaced throughout the room, keeping the fighting in the ring, and the drinking out. If a brawl broke out in the crowd, it was quickly dealt with, and the participants were made to either stop it, or join the queue for one of the next fights.

Ed crossed the room to enter the back hallway, where doctors and fighters could rest and prepare themselves. He was uniquely suited for this lifestyle, thanks to the knowledge he'd gained as an Alchemist and a soldier. His knowledge of combat made him an effective fighter, and his Alchemy skills gave him a working knowledge of anatomy, patching up wounds, and mixing medicines.

It was a tough life. In many ways, he found it was harder than that last year of trying to get Al's body back had been. He was alone, in this world. He couldn't go back to Risembool, he couldn't get in contact with any of Mustang's team for help or support. He didn't have his brother with him, pushing him to survive and keep going on. He'd spent his first months in this world using his Alchemy to help him survive, before he'd noticed the ability fading. This world, it seemed, didn't support Alchemy. It was a heavy blow to his spirit. He'd defined himself by his Alchemy, by his goals, and by his integrity. Now he didn't have the Alchemy anymore. He didn't have the goals, because he'd achieved them. He'd gotten Al his body back. He had nothing left but himself, then. And he could ill afford to hold himself and his integrity sacred. He needed to find a way to live. He got in fights with street thugs, and took their money from them, used his fading Alchemy to transmute some cash in the image of what he stole. Occasionally, when he had no other choice, no cash and nowhere to go for the night, he would sell himself.

He despised himself for it.

When he started to get recognized, for whatever reason, he moved on to a new city. It made it easier for him if he just didn't get attached to any one place. He could just up and leave whenever he wanted to. If he felt watched, uncomfortable, or just plain restless. He explored a good fraction of Europe before crossing the Atlantic, first to Canada, then into the United States.

Along the way, he stumbled into an organized fighting ring. A hidden club where fighters could make bets and earn winnings from fights, and spectators could place bets as well. He'd started making a name for himself in these rings, in a way he could accept, even if he wasn't particularly proud of it. He was good at fighting, and he wasn't half bad at patching up injuries, either. He made use of both sets of skills, earning himself the name FullMetal in the fighting ring, and Patches in the the back rooms.

But he was starting to get restless again now. Ed clapped his hands together, feeling the extremely faint crackle that was all that was left of his Alchemy. It couldn't even do something as simple as change ice to water anymore. He slumped into the rickety chair that stood over his meager belongings, a small backpack and jacket, and clapped again, desperate for the feel of home. Alphonse, Alchemy, Risembool. Even Mustang's team and the bastard himself.

Ed closed his eyes, oblivious to the building tension in the air, focusing on remembering whatever Alchemy he could keep in his mind. It was an exercise he performed regularly, and every time he did he could almost feel it happening. Every time, he opened his eyes, hoping to see and hear the familiar blue crackle.

When he opened his eyes this time, the Alchemical glow that snatched him, chair and all, into the void was so surprising he didn't have a chance to escape it, even if he'd wanted to.


	3. Chapter 3 Home

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Chapter 3 - Home

Edward woke abruptly, and launched himself at the nearest wall he saw, putting his back to it and twitching his arm in preparation to defend himself. The twitch activated a mechanism he'd installed when his Alchemy began truly failing, and a blade slid out from under the forearm plate to extend past his fist and along the side of his arm. The quick movements made his vision start to grey and blur, so Ed focused on breathing, and listening for any kind of threat while he couldn't see.

When his vision cleared, and he could make sense of what he saw, Ed leaned back and slid down the wall.

"What the hell?" He choked out. His gaze darted over the room, noting every familiar and unfamiliar detail.

It couldn't be real. This had to be another one of those dreams. He'd been thinking of home, after all. If he fell asleep on that chair, it would make sense that he dreamed of home, right? He couldn't possibly be in the room he and Al had used to share at the Rockbell automail shop. He pinched himself, and flinched at the sharp pain.

If it was a dream, that should have woken him up. And Al should be there, but the corner that had held the other boy's bed was conspicuously different, the bed replaced with a large bookshelf.

"I'm... not dreaming?"

He stumbled to his feet, retracted his blade with another twitch of his shoulder, and headed for the door. Someone had to be here. Al, Winry, Aunty Pinako.

The doorknob twisted under his hand and the door opened. Face to face with a concerned looking Winry, Ed could only blink dumbly at what had to be a dream come true.

"You're finally awake!" She exclaimed, a bright smile coming onto her face. She'd clearly been tending to him, because she had a tray with two bowls and some cloth on it in her hands.

"Winry?" He couldn't wrap his mind around seeing Winry standing there. Despite the pinch he'd given himself, he just had to be dreaming. It wasn't possible that he was _home_. Maybe he should think of some other way to test if he was awake?

He wavered on his feet, his mind momentarily losing control of his extremities, and he shook himself out of his shock in time to catch himself on the door frame.

"Maybe you should sit back down, Ed. You don't look too steady." She gave him a stern look, admonishing him for getting up before he was stronger, and pushed him lightly back towards the bed.

He went without argument, face still showing shock. "I'm home."

The look softened. "Yeah, Ed, you're home. Now sit down and rest, so you can get better and I can yell at you for being stupid again." She directed him back to the bed, putting the tray in her arms down beside him.

"What do you mean, again?" Ed asked, indignance breaking him out of his shock. "I haven't even been here for three years. I can't have done anything stupid here."

"You didn't have to be here to do something stupid. I don't know what you've been doing to your automail, but whatever you've been up to, it's in terrible shape. There's no way you've been taking proper care of yourself. We had to wait for you to wake up so we could make sure we could remove it without causing permanent damage. Grandma and I have already started working on replacement parts for you, though, so you'll be feeling better in no time. You're just lucky we've got a spare model that will fit you with just a few modifications. We had to take new measurements, since you've finally grown a little."

"I'm not short! I've grown three whole inches."

The smile on Winry's face grew just a little when he responded just the way he always used to, and she threw her arms around him. "Oh Ed, we missed you so much. It's hard to believe you're back. But I could just kill Alphonse for how he did it."

"What? Is Al okay?" If Al wasn't okay...

"He's fine. He brought you back without telling anyone what he was planning, though, Ed. He just went off one morning, and when we heard there was a commotion and some lights up at your old place, I thought the worst. I thought it was happening all over again, but he looks like he'll be fine once he sleeps it off."

Ed breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm glad he's alright. I'll have to kick his ass later though, for not telling anyone anything. That was dangerous."

"You're one to talk. How many times have we patched you up, Edward?"

"I'll have you know I can take care of myself!"

Their bickering was interrupted by a gravelly voice. "Still as argumentative as ever, Edward. I'm glad to see that other world hasn't changed you too much."

Edward and Winry made faces at each other, but quit arguing.

"You know me, Aunt Pinako, I'm as stubborn as you are." Ed grinned at the old woman.

"Stubborn as a mule, more like. Now, let me look at your arm."

Ed refrained from making a comment about her calling herself a mule, and sat quietly while she poked his shoulder, automail fingers twitching every time his nerves panged.

Pikano was finally satisfied, and stood back from him. "It looks like it can be removed with no damage. You're lucky. In this kind of shape, it could have been very painful, or done permanent damage."

"Hah, it's plenty painful. Keeps twinging at me." He waved his hand in the air, evoking another twinge.

"Hush, that's nothing. Let's take it off for now, though. I need to look at the socket. It may need adjusting."

Ed winced at the idea of a socket adjustment, and then bit his lip at the removal of the arm. He cautioned Winry to be careful with it.

"I had to make a few modifications while I was on that side, so it's a bit dangerous. I didn't like playing with it, I'm not the best mechanic, but I didn't have too much choice."

He took the arm back, and triggered the mechanism that loosed the blade. "Took me forever to get it right without jamming something up."

"But why not just use Alchemy, Ed?" Winry asked. While she'd never liked the idea of him fighting, she had taken comfort from the idea that he was never truly unarmed, as long as he had his automail and his Alchemy.

"Alchemy barely works in that world. For a little while, I could do small things, like my armblade. Then it got to the point where I couldn't turn ice into water without a massive array, and a putting a lot more into it than I usually do. Half killed myself to make anything work." He could remember the three days he'd spent on his bathroom floor, past the point of exhaustion after trying and failing at Alchemy.

"That's horrible." Winry couldn't imagine how it had to have been for Ed, he was so reliant on his Alchemy.

"Yeah. It was. And now I'm back." Unspoken was his relief at having Alchemy accessible to him again.

Pinako stepped back from Ed, holding his automail leg. "Yes, you're back. And you clearly need rest just as much as you always have. We'll get you something to eat and you can take a nap. By the time you wake up we'll have substitute automail for you. I will need to make some adjustments to the sockets, but they're relatively minor."

"Works for me. How long was I out, anyway?"

"We found you and Al yesterday morning."

A quick glance out the window told Ed it was late afternoon now. He rubbed his face. "And I'm still this tired? Yeah, I think I'll sleep some more, after I eat. If Al wakes up, though, wake me up. I want to see him." There was a raw look in Ed's eyes that said he was barely keeping himself from hopping down the hall on one leg to find his brother.

"No problem, Ed. I'll be right back with a big dinner for you." Winry practically skipped out the door.

"Thanks."

He leaned back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. He was really home.


	4. Chapter 4 Brother

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Chapter 4 - Brother

When he next woke up, there was sunlight streaming in the window, and his door was propped open. The reason for the open door was made clear as Pinako and Winry wheeled in their equipment trays.

"Oh good, you're awake. I need to adjust your sockets, and then we can get you mobile again."

"Alright. Actually, I wanted to ask you to redesign the blade I put in my old arm. I'd like to keep the same basic mechanism in the new one, even if I can do Alchemy again."

"That's going to make it heavier again, Ed." Winry complained. The new model they'd made was supposed to be lightweight, and his modification would completely ruin that.

"I figured that. But... If I'm ever stuck without Alchemy again, if I end up back in that other world again, it could save my life." He shuddered at the very idea of having to go back.

"We're not going to lose you again, Ed." Winry said, determined.

"You can't know that for sure. Ow!" Pinako's adjustments to Ed's shoulder had struck a nerve.

"Oh, be quiet, you baby."

"Ed, relax a bit. We won't know anything until we talk to Al, but I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have done this unless he was sure it would work."

"If you don't believe it will work, it won't, so of course he was sure it would work. He still hasn't woken up?" That was worrying.

"Sit _still_, Ed. He should wake up any time. He was mumbling in his sleep last night."

The majority of the tension drained out of Ed's body. That was a good sign. It meant Al was still in his body, hadn't done something overly and unforgivably stupid.

"Alright, Edward, let's attach these limbs for you."

Ed was glad attaching the temporary prosthetics didn't hurt nearly as bad as the real thing. He didn't think he was up to dealing with that level of pain, just yet, though he would never tell that to anyone. Even so, it hurt bad enough that he grit his teeth and drove his fingernails deep into his palm.

As soon as he could relax his jaw, and get control over his limbs, he pushed himself into a standing position, ignoring the eye rolls of both Winry and Pinako. "I want to see Al."

Neither of his caretakers were surprised to hear it, though Winry bit her lip nervously as she led him out of his room.

"Al's... in my room." She said, a bit defensive and a bit challenging.

The look Ed shot her was briefly calculating, remembering past conversations with his brother and Winry, before it shifted to warm acceptance. "Good. I'm glad he hasn't been alone."

Winry turned a brilliant red, and gave him a shove that sent him into the wall.

Ed just laughed. "Really, Winry, I'm happy for you."

They entered Winry's room, and Ed dropped into the chair at the bedside like a puppet with its strings cut.

"Al..." Ed's left hand reached out hesitantly, almost afraid it was a dream again, one where touching his brother would cause him to wake up with his hopes shattered all over again. When his fingers finally met his brother's face, he almost sobbed. It was real. Warm.

"Al."

Knowing Ed would prefer to have his privacy, Winry and Pikano left the room, closing the door softly behind them.

He barely noticed, he couldn't look away from his brother. Seven years, and he could finally see his brother human again. He was so different, but still so much the same. It was almost strange to think of his brother as soft flesh and blood, needing food and air and water. Strange to think that he could hear his brother breathing again, with a heartbeat, instead of the rasp of metal and a bloodseal.

"I did it, Al. I got your body back. I was so afraid I'd failed."

Afraid he'd messed up and created another homunculus, afraid he'd left out some detail, forgotten some important factor. He'd been so certain his circles were right when he made them, but the time he spent alone just added doubt after doubt as memory blurred no matter how hard he tried to retain it.

Words poured out of him. Sitting there, with Al beside him, he remembered the comfort of talking to his brother. The knowledge that he would never be rejected for anything he could say or do, because they'd already been through the worst together. The roiling emotions within him had found their outlet, and Ed just let them go.

He sat in that chair for a number of hours, sunlight keeping the room bright, so caught up in the emotional outpour that Al waking up went unnoticed, and he just continued to ramble and rant. It always came back to the same point, though.

"I was just so scared, Al. Of everything. It was only worth it if you were alive. And I just kept thinking 'What if I failed? What do I do then? I can't even do Alchemy anymore.'"

"You didn't fail, brother. I'm alive."

Al's voice hit him like an anvil, and his gaze shot to his brother's face. Their gazes met, a thousand reassurances held in the momentary eye contact.

"Alphonse?"

"I'm okay, brother. And so are you."

Ed grabbed Al by both shoulders, pulling him into a tight hug. "Al."

"Brother."

Their hold on each other held an air of desperation, but they nevertheless released each other after a few minutes.

"There's really no Alchemy on that side, brother?" Al asked, curious. It was strange to think of a world without a science so integral to their existence.

"No. They've got this thing called physics. It's a different type of science than Alchemy. Focuses almost purely on the external, formulas and reaction have to be caused by something, and can't be forced into occurring by an Alchemy circle. There are occasional groups that start doing something kind of like primitive Alchemy, but it's pretty taboo. I got myself into some tight spots, with that."

"That sounds terrible." Al knew it would have been worse for Ed than it would be for him. Ed was so dependent on his Alchemy, he couldn't imagine him being without it.

"It wasn't fun, that's for sure. It might have been easier if I'd stayed with Dad, but I just couldn't do it. Not after hating him for so long. I don't hate him anymore." Ed said defensively, to Al's reproachful look.

"It was tough, Al, but I survived. And you brought me back. That's all that matters." Ed didn't want to tell Al the horrors of his life on the other side, though he knew his brother had heard much of it when he was venting earlier. Some of the things he'd done to survive were things he never wanted his brother to know about.

The look Al gave him said that he knew what Ed was thinking, knew Ed was holding back. The fresh scars Ed bore, and the almost instinctive evasions he used so naturally every time the conversation strayed to a difficult area, told Al that he probably hadn't heard half the horrors that other world had held for his older brother.

Their conversation was interrupted by Winry knocking lightly on the door and poking her head in. "Al! You're awake." She said, relieved to see him sitting up and looking at her.

"Yeah. Brother and I were talking. I did it, Winry! I got brother back!"

"I can see that, I've been working on his automail all afternoon. Both of you, stop exhausting each other and go to bed. We're putting your automail on you tomorrow, Ed, and you need to be rested. And you spent the last two days asleep, Al, and don't you dare tell me you're not tired. You can keep grilling each other tomorrow."

Ed rose to follow Winry out, but was stopped by Al's hand on his arm. "Tomorrow, I'll be rested enough to make sure you tell me everything."

Ed let out an indignant squawk. "That's not fair! I'll be recovering from getting half my limbs reattached!"

Winry pulled a still protesting Ed out of the room after her, kicking the door shut on a grinning Alphonse.


	5. Chapter 5 Spar

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Chapter 5

The confrontation when Al demanded explanations did not lead to a good day. Ed didn't like seeing the pain on Al's face when he learned what Ed had been through, what his older brother had done simply to survive. He wanted nothing more than to tell his little brother that it wasn't as bad as it sounded, and he was still the same Ed as always. It was mostly true, after all. He didn't think he'd changed _that_ much.

Al refused to let Ed lie, either to himself or Al, no matter how desperately he wanted to deny the time they'd been apart. There was a look in Ed's eyes when he talked about the other world that Al had never seen before, even on their hunt for the Philosopher's Stone. He wanted to know what put it there.

The two brothers spent the better part of the day lost in conversation, and despite the topic that was mostly grim for the elder, they both felt better for it. Al learned that his brother was just as strong and clever as always, still full of determination and drive, but there was something about Ed that seemed just a little bit off. He wasn't sure what it was yet, but he was thinking about it.

Winry interrupted their conversation with dinner, and after they'd eaten they abandoned the more difficult conversational topics in favor of something they both enjoyed much more.

It had been so long since he had actually caused an effect with Alchemy that Ed was almost afraid to try it, but he was careful not to show his apprehension to his brother. Once his first attempt came out as well as it always had, he quickly forgot the worry, diving right back into the complex fundamentals and principles. The intuitive understanding that had made him such a prodigy as a child was still strong, and his passion for learning hadn't faded in the slightest.

It was just like old times again, researching and testing and debating about this circle or that pattern or that compound. It was the next morning that Al finally got a taste of what was different about his brother.

Ed was eating breakfast when Al walked in tired-eyed and yawning, and Ed figured he'd been up late talking to Winry about everything the brothers had discussed the day before. At least it explained why Winry had been so fussy at him earlier, before she went to the store to get something he liked for dinner.

"Brother, do you want to spar today?" Al asked, looking more lively as he inhaled his breakfast.

"I don't know." He rolled his shoulder, feeling the sparking pain that still remained from the reattachment.

"I'm still not a hundred percent, but I can probably go a round or two. Just be careful I don't hurt you too bad, okay little brother?" Ed grinned cheekily at Al.

"Don't worry about me, Ed. I can take care of myself. You'll be a bit slow anyway, at least at first. I'll make sure to take advantage." Al shot back a cocky grin of his own.

Ed relaxed and sat back. Al usually could handle himself, that was true enough. "Alright. I could use the exercise anyway. But don't go crying to Winry when I kick your ass."

"You can try, brother, but I've been practicing, too, you know."

Al polished his breakfast off in record time, then hovered over Ed until he finished eating.

"Hold your horses, Al. We've got all day, and we've still got to do our warmups. Not to mention I want to at least let breakfast settle before I start throwing my weight around."

Al rolled his eyes. "Alright. I'm gonna go meet Winry on her way back. We'll spar when I get back, right?"

"Sure, long as it's not in the next five minutes or something."

Ed watched as Al jogged out the door.

"What the hell's gotten into him?"

Still shaking his head in amusement at his brother's antics, Ed did a few stretches designed to ease the strain of his automail, and was relieved when he felt some of the pressure receed. Half an hour later, he saw Al and Winry walking up to the house. Al had one arm heavily loaded down with grocery bags, and the other over Winry's shoulder.

Ed whistled at them, gratified to see the bright blushes that rose in both their faces. Ed figured he only had a day or two of being able to embarass them like that, and he was going to make good use of it for as long as it lasted.

Winry and Al split up after Winry relieved him of his baggage and walked into the kitchen to put things away. Al stopped in front of Ed.

"Ready to spar yet, brother?"

"Sure, Al. Let's go for it."

After a series of quick stretches and warm ups, they squared off. They stared at each other, eyes tracking every motion as they circles, registering every twitch of muscle. They both stopped moving at the same time, then leapt for each other, just as they alway had in the past.

For a few moments, it was just like old times, a quick series of punches and kicks they both knew by heart. Competitve grin on his face, Al decided to show his brother some of the new moves he'd learned, and spun in the opposite direction than he would have when Ed last saw him.

Ed reacted quickly to the change, shifting his balance and moving his automail arm into a block, but Al had made another quick shift, and his attack connected. Ed reacted like he had learned to do in the other world. It was like he was back in the ring, all over again, and the only goal in his mind was to put his opponent on the ground and leave him there.

His recognition of his opponent as his younger brother vanished.

Ed spun around, foot flying into the air, his momentum carrying him around faster than Al was used to. Ed's foot hit Al's shoulder hard, and Al slid sideways. Al could see a vicious gleam in his brother's eyes. It was like his brother wasn't in there anymore, and had left someone completely different in his place. Someone who was entirely single-minded, and completely a predator.

Al recovered from the shock of seeing the abrupt shift just in time to block another kick, but this time it was Ed's automail leg, and it hit with enough force to break the arm Al used to try and block it.

Al retreated, trying to get out of range without getting hit again. His brother wasn't using any of the old familiar patterns he could defend against. Ed's style had warped completely, a transition as complete as the look in his eyes.

"Brother, stop!" Al repeated his shout twice more, desperately trying to wake Ed up from whatever state of mind he'd fallen into.

"Ed! Edward Elric! Wake up already damn it! Brother, it's me, Alphonse!"

It was hearing Al's name that finally penetrated Ed's conscious mind. Al could see Ed's eyes widen, as he realized what he was doing but also realized that he didn't have time to stop his punch before it would hit his defenseless brother in the face.

Ed reeled back as Al fell to the ground.

What the hell had he just done?

"Al? Al, wake up."

Al was out cold. Ed sank to the ground next to Al. He recognized what had happened now. He hadn't realized just how much his style had changed and roughened on the other side. He'd been developing his fighting abilities to their utmost, and it had led to this. Ed had been in complete control when they started, which was why the patterns from his childhood had been what he used, but when Al hit him, it triggered the instincts he had built up, and he attacked.

Ed picked Al up, staggering a bit until he caught his balance, and carried him into the house. He settled Al onto the couch carefully, and went into the kitchen to collect the first aid kit.

He was surprised by Winry almost jumping down his throat when he reentered the room.

"What the hell happened to Alphonse, Edward?" She demanded.

Ed winced.

"I- Uh... Well, I hit him pretty hard. I didn't mean to!" He snapped when she looked ready to tear into him.

"What did you mean to do then, Ed? You've only been here a few days, and already something like this has happened!"

Ed whirled to face her. "I know it's my fault, damn it! I was there! Just like I couldn't be for the last three years! Now either shut up and help me or shut up and leave!" Ed dumped his armful of supplies next to the couch and started tending to his brother, barely glancing at Winry when she began to help. Every time she tried to talk to him, he glared her into silence, until they'd finished patching Al up.

Ed was just grateful Al had still been unconscious when they set his arm.

"He should be fine." Ed said, standing up and heading for the door again.

"I'm going for a walk."

"Wait, Ed-" The door slammed shut on Winry's call.

Ed paused on the porch, wondering just where he was going to go, then set off for the river. It wasn't a place he'd used as an escape before, so he didn't think anyone would think to look for him up there.

A short trek up the river, he found a large, flat rock standing mostly dry in the middle of the river, and crossed over to it.

He laid down and raised a hand to block out the sun's rays, only to glare at his automail hand and drop it back to the rock beside him. He thought about the look on Al's face.

"He looked pretty scared." He mumbled. He'd seen that look before on his opponents, usually just before they went down and out for the count. The ones who underestimated him for being a blond pipsqueak were the ones who showed the most fear.

"Just like Al did."

He'd never imagined that it would be _him_ who put that look in Al's eyes.


End file.
